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Nothindria
Nothindria is a naval nation from the far north which originates from the Nothindrian Isles, a group of cold and mountainous islands north of Shavhan. The Nothindrian people are renowned for their aggression and their warlike nature, as well as their short stature. Nothindria became a power on the world stage because they were the first to create skyships, and they used these to take vast amounts of territory from the Calamaran Empire. The capital city of the Nothindrian Empire is Zenganamaarv History Prior to year 0, Nothindria was inhabited by mountain-dwelling druids and primitive folk, in small villages. In those times, the Nothindrian Isles were home to deadly creatures dwelling in the mountains, such as Griffins, Amaroks, and even Frost dragons. The people of Nothindria were constantly fighting against these creatures for their survival, and developed a strong tradition of archery to take down the flying beasts. There is no strong evidence, but there are strong cultural parallels between Nothindria and Svoldia. It is theorised that they may have had a common ancestor, though what gave the Nothindrians their short stature is unknown. According to Nothindrian legend, at some point between then and 0.75 a figure known only as "Snowhawk Skharya" slew all the frost dragons and saved the people of Nothindria. Her legendary bow is still a proud national artifact. Many palaces and halls across Nothindria contain skulls of dragons and other monsters, supposedly killed by Skharya herself. According to legend, Skharya completely destroyed the race of Zilant dragons; cruel, greedy and powerful dragons who tormented the Nothindrians. During Skharya's crusades, Nothindria was supposedly invaded by giants, but they were successfully repelled. Giants are a large part of Nothindrian legends, though it is theorised that these early "giants" were actually just Shavhani explorers, and that their size is exaggerated in the stories. With the mountain monsters dead, the Nothindrians explored their islands and began to fight each other for territory. The Skharyosa Clan, who were descendants of Skharya and her followers, claimed the mountains of Novorosshka, the largest island in the isles, and fought off all competition. The Samstvilyosa Clan took to the seas and began building a coastal nation. The Vlasyamak Clan retreated into the remote islands, and became isolated druids. Countless other clans and tribes sprung up, all trying to claim parts of the isles. By the year 10.0, the Nothindrian Isles were home to warring clans, mostly naval, and were known for their mastery of archery and for their War-birds. Many Nothindrians had Snowhawk pets, and some rode upon giant birds called Zerokhes. The Vlasyamak druids were not involved in the conflicts, and all tribes considered them to be wise, and sometimes went there for advice. Nothindrians occasionally raided the northern coasts of Shavhan, and some islands in the Channel, but never strayed too far. The great city Zenganamaarv was constructed on the coast of Novorosshka in the year 10.42, after the previous capital of the Samstvilyosa Clan was razed by the Kazbekidin Clan. The Skyship was invented by the Nothindrian inventor, Raishin Aleksandrany, in 20.36, and quickly began to be constructed for the military. in 20.32, Admiral Yrina Samstvilyosa began uniting the Nothindrian Isles through a combination of diplomacy and might. She obliterated the Kazbekidin Clan for their past crimes and took control of the island of Chezchnokva. She negotiated with the Skharyosa Clan to gain complete control of Novorosshka. With these combined armies, she intimidated the various fractured clans of Zevskaya and the lesser isles, and created, for the first time, a unified Nothindria. A new government system, the Tsarav's Republic of Novorosshka, was officially created in 20.37. With this united force, she took to the seas, with some of their brand new Skyships, and went to war with the Calamaran Empire, who they had hated for centuries. At some point in 20.45 they also declared war on Vaik'Kai and Erdannia, though these details are foggy. by 20.88, Nothindria owns many islands in the Shattered Sea, particularly those closest to Shavhan. Portuqa and Turkhana are their major gains, and it is impossible to go too far in the western Shattered Sea without coming across Nothindrian ships. Nothindria has a prosperous alliance with the Three Dynasties of Shavhan, but is at war with basically everyone else. They respect the Svoldians and the Kingdom of Whytehold, and have not made any overtly hostile actions against them. Cities and Territory There are three main islands in the Nothindrian Isles, Novorosshka, Chezchnokva and Zevskaya. Novorosshka is the largest of these, and is where the great city of Zenganamaarv sits. Within its mountains is the famed stronghold of the Skharyosa Clan, Rustaviyik. Most of the Nothindrian fleet is based on the port city of Verossiyik. Chezchnokva was once where the Kazbekidin Clan lived, until they were destroyed during the unification wars. It is known for its stubborn population, and berserker warriors. Its largest city is Groznyak, and the ruins of Tsatogorsk sit at its centre. Zevskaya is the smallest of the three main islands. It is famed for its large populations of Nothindrian war-birds. The largest city on Zevskaya is Zhutovyurt. Another important island in Nothindria is Tsagranovka, a small island that is home to the druidic Vlasyamak clan. The town of Yevpatzhziak is their main home on the island. There are various smaller islands among the Nothindrian Isles, home to minor clans. In the Shattered Sea, Nothindria has taken over Turkhana, Portuqa, and Condoleeza. They have also laid claim to most islands in the Channel and around Shavhan, including the ancient stronghold of Chao Pan. Culture A focal point of Nothindrian culture is the hearth. Fire means the difference between life and death in the cold northern islands, and so the fireplace has become a place of spiritual importance over the years. Most Nothindrians buildings will have a large hearth at the centre, adorned with paraphernalia and spiritual talismans crafted from stone or metal. Nothindrian temples have a large brazier at the centre, and all Nothindrian festivities and ceremonies are held near a fire. Nothindrians who die are cremated on a pyre. It is considered an extremely taboo act to extinguish a fire unnecessarily, and it is practically a declaration of war to extinguish someone else's fire. Superstitious Nothindrians may make signs to ward off spirits when they enter a building where no fire burns. Despite having a lot of modern technology, the Nothindrians are reluctant to accept electric lighting, and don't want to let go of the cultural significance of the fire. Nothindrians have a deep tradition of storytelling and passing on mythology through oral tradition. Nothindrians priests are often referred to as "Storytellers", and one of their responsibilities is to tell stories around the fire. Very few Nothindrian legends are written down, but many are depicted through sculptures and carvings. In ancient mythologies it is said that if the Nothindrians were to write down their stories, they would be stolen by giants and the soul of the story would be lost. (On behalf of giants everywhere, I apologise to the Nothindrians for recording some of these stories in books. - Archmage R. Nightwatch) Without written words it is very easy for stories to get confused and mistold. Whenever two Nothindrians disagree on how a story went, they go to the local Storyteller, who is the absolute authority on it. When two Storytellers disagree on it, the debates can go on for years. Often the Storytellers meet and discuss the mythologies in depth, arguing over the slightest detail, before Nothindrians tend to hold grudges, and don't take insults lightly, for this reason they are quite a warlike nation, going to war for the crimes of decades past, which have been woven into their mythology and aren't easily forgotten. For minor disputes, Nothindrians spar with one another to let off steam, or send forth champions to fight each other. Larger disputes can only be solved by war. Family is important in Nothindria, and it is considered a great crime to act against your family, especially if it's your mother. Marriages are an important tradition, and children born out of wedlock cannot be raised as part of the family. Bastard children are said to be watched by the Bastard Gods, and must spend their lives wandering. In Nothindrian culture, women are slightly above men in social standing. Most of the Tsarovs are women, and all the religious and spiritual leaders are. This may be due to the great influence of Snowhawk Skharya, a legendary hero in Nothindrian history who was a woman. Mothers, especially, are respected. Nothindrian men will always heed the advice of their mother, wife, or daughter. Uniquely, the Nothindrian army contains an equal amount of men as women. Religion Unlike in most places, worship of light gods, dark gods, and even Shadowlight gods are all popular, common, and tolerated in Nothindria, with no conflict between them. This is supposedly because in ancient times, all the Nothindrian gods worked together to defeat the Zilant Dragons and the Giants. Additionally the Fey are respected and revered, but not worshipped. Nothindrian religion centres around two gods. Lilyakaarta, goddess of the hearth, and Kryvyakhy, god of snow. Lilyakaarta may be influenced by the Shavhani god Liliaqura, and they both represent themes of home and rest. The Nothindrian variant, however, is slightly more aggressive and also represents fire. She is the most commonly worshipped god in the Nothindrian cities, and well loved. She is a light goddess. Kryvyakhy is the god of snow, ice, storms and the night. Kryvyakhy is well respected as the cause of Nothindrian hardiness, and is said to grant his followers the necessary endurance to resist the snows and storms, which is supposedly the reason Nothindrians can endure the cold for significantly longer than other humans. Kryvyakhy's snows and storms have also protected the Nothindrian Isles for centuries, and are considered partly the reason invaders from Shavhan never took over. He is a dark god. The Shavhani gods are occasionally mentioned in Nothindrian myth as the "Giant Gods", but are not worshipped. Lilyakaarta and Kryvyakhy have many children, which form the lesser gods of Nothindria. They have had children with each other, creating many shadowlight gods. They have also sometimes had children with the Giant gods The most prominent of the children they've had together is Radyadjary, god of stories, ceremony, and festivities. Shidiqura is known to have decieved and seduced both gods, and given birth to the Bastard Gods; Mynkesska and Mynkessky. These gods are patrons to bastards and wanders.